Swiss-based steel trading company Metinvest International SA, part of Metinvest Group, has announced recently the launch of its new branch office in the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. As part of the company’s customer proximity strategy, the new office in Dubai will promote new steel prod-ucts, allow better information exchange, reinforce partnerships and expand Metinvest’s presence in the Gulf region.
The office will handle business requirements for United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Viktor Vukusic has been appointed as the Jebel Ali Free Zone Branch Manager, bringing extensive international trading experience. In 2008 Metinvest shipped about 430Kt of billets to Gulf coun-tries, including 255Kt to UAE, 138Kt to Oman, 37Kt to Saudi Arabia. The new product range will include rebar of various steel grades, wire rod, angles, channels, I-beams, plate and SAW pipes.
“The Gulf has traditionally been a high priority market for steel consumption," said Andrey Parkhomchuk, CEO of Metinvest International SA, "For many years Metinvest has established an excellent and very suc-cessful partnership with the region’s companies and we are very confident that our new offices will permit us to enhance and foster this partnership.